' And I felt with him thar', and
promised him, and he me; but I remember thinkin', as I looked at him,
it's little likely I'll ever stand above your grave.
"Enough said. 'This was our friend lies here. We loved him.' We thank him
for them words. Better nor more, they cl'ar it all up on this side twixt
him and us. No need ter tell o' what he was, or what he done. 'Tain't
likely we'll forgit. He didn't say ter praise him. He wanted none o'
that, but jest we knowed and loved him.
"And so it might 'a' been enough, but now, my God! my God! as I stand
here aside o' him, he bids me, plain as day, to speak a word beyent; ef I
could only name it, ef I could only name it, what looks so cl'ar and
beautiful thar' on his face.
"'Hold strong;' he says, 'below thar'. Keep heart and make cl'ar
reckonin', for it's losin' all may be, in this 'ere mystery, makes
cl'arest gain o' all. There's fairer day to rest ye arter storm. All's
well! all's well!' he says; 'all's well beyent. All's well along this
shore!'"
Here George Olver's husky voice failed him; sobs rose in the room.
Then the "farewell" was sung, and bravely; but at the last, I heard only
Madeline's voice, it grew so surpassingly clear and sweet; it seemed to
float solitary in the room, and to play triumphantly about the sleeper's
lips--the voice, indeed, of a free spirit in its bliss, thrilled only
with some plaintive memory of human woe and loss.
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